Apparatus for annealing plate-glass



(No Model.) 2 Sheets'Sheet 1 J. A. CHAMBERS.

APPARATUS FOR ANNEALING PLATE GLASS.

N0. 55Q,861. Patented Nay 5,1896.

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.- HAMBERS. I NNEALING PLAT SS.

Paten May 5, 1896.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES A. CHAMBERS, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

APPARATUS FOR ANNEALING PLATE-GLASS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 559,361, dated May 5,1896.

Application filed July 21, 1888.

To all "whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES A. CHAMBERS, a resident of Pittsburg, in thecounty of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new anduseful Improvement in Apparatus for Annealing Plate-Glass; and I dohereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descriptionthereof.

My invention relates to the annealing and cooling of plate-glass, itsobject being to reduce the time necessary to anneal the glass plateafter it is cast and to overcome a large portion of the labor which hasbeen incident to the method of annealing glass heretofore employed andreduce the percentage of breakage.

In the method of annealing plate-glass it has been customary to cast themolten glass upon the casting-table and by means of a large roller toroll it out into a plate of proper size and thickness, and as soon asthe plate was sufliciently set to push or shove it either directly fromthe casting-table into a large annealing-oven, in which case thecastingtable was movable, so that it could be brought to the mouth'ofthe oven, or, where the casting-table was stationary, to shove the castplate upon a large cart having a fiat upper surface and to carry theplate by means of this cart to the annealing-oven. The ovens weregenerally made from sixty to seventy feet long, being large enough toaccommodate from five to six of these cast glass plates, and a largeamount of labor was required in pushing the plates fed thereto into theoven, espe cially the first plates to the back of the oven. Previous tothe casting operation and the introduction of the plates into theannealing.- oven the oven was heated up to a dull-red heat, and as soonas the oven was filled with the several plates of glass the doors andother openings into the oven were sealed and the glass allowed togradually cool therein, the oven being kept sealed for one or two daysand then gradually opened, so as to cool down and permit the cast platesof glass to cool down with them, the annealing operation thus requiringa period of from three to four days, and it being necessary in largeglass-works to have such a large number of these ovens that the cost ofconstruction of the original plant in making plate-glass was enormous.

After the cooling and annealing of the cast Serial No. 280,635. (Nomodel.)

glass plate it was drawn out of the annealingoven by means of largehooks and ropes, the

plates being drawn onto a large table placed V the loss in the handlingof the plates being generally calculated at twenty-five per cent.

The objects of my invention are to more rapidly anneal these plates andto overcome the necessity of so large a plant in the man ufacture ofthis plate-glass and to overcome the labor and the liability ofexcessive breakage in the handling of the glass plates in annealingthem.

My invention relates to the apparatus employed in carrying out thecasting and annealing of these plates.

To these ends my invention consists, generally stated, in apparatus forannealing cast glass plates having a highly-heated receivingchamberprovided with a feeding-port in one Wall thereof, a soaking-ovenextending out from the receiving-chamber, a track extending through thereceiving-chamber and soaking-oven, and flat cars traveling on saidtrack and having a solid floor or surface to receive and support thecast glass plate.

It also consists in certain improvements in the arrangement of theapparatus for heating and operating the several cars and providing forthe feeding of the cast plates to the cars within the apparatus and theremoval of the annealed and cool plate from the cars, as willhereinafter be more fully set forth.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, 1 willdescribe the same more fully, referring to the accompanying drawings, inwhich Figure l is a horizontal section illustrating the apparatus. Fig.2 is a longitudinal section on the line .90 50, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is acrosssection on the line y y, Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a cross-section on theline 5 2, Fig. 1; and Fig. 5 is a detail view of part of the floor of acar.

Like letters of reference indicate like parts in each view.

In my improved annealing apparatus I con struct at the forward end thereceiving-chamher a, in which a high and even heat is generallymaintained, from which extends the soakin g-oven I), this oven extendingout for a con siderable distance from the receiving-chamher, and nearthe end of the soaking-oven h opposite to the receiving-chamber a is asuitable draft-flue b to induce the draft through the soaking-oven, andextending through the receiving-chamber a and soaking-oven h is thetrack 0, on which run a series of cars (I, having the solid flat or evenfloors thereon. The chamber a is generally made of sufficient length toreceive three or four of these flat cars, as shown, and in order to heatthe chamber a grate or fire-chamber e is arranged along one sidethereof, gaseous or other suitable fuel being burned in thefire-chamber, and the products of combustion passing across the chamberand escaping through suitable lines 6 in the division-wallfbetween theannealingchamber a and the car-heating chamber or oven g. Thecar-heating chamber g has a similar grate or fire-space g arranged alongone side thereof and ports or flues g at the opposite side, and the twochambers to 9 communicate at their forward ends, a suitable opening fbeing formed through which the cars d can pass from the car-heatingchamber into the receiving-chamber. This opening or passage f thuspermits the heat from one chamber to pass into the other, and there forea high and even temperature can be maintained in the two chambers, inthe chamher 9 to heat the cars before the castplates are placed thereonand in the chamber a to bring the heated cast plates to an eventemperature, this being the first step in the annealing process.

In order to carry the flat cars d from one chamber to the other, I havearranged along the forward ends of the chambers a g the pit h, havingthe transfer-cart traveling therein on a suitable track, said car beingprovided with a track-section corresponding with the track 0 in thechamber a and with the track is in the car-heating chamber g, so thatthe cars can be transferred from the car-heating chamber g to theannealing-chamber a by means of this car i in the pit h. The severalcars are connected together by suitable coupling devices, as at Z, whichare preferably made automatic, so that they can be coupled or uncoupledwithout the necessity of opening the chamber containing the cars, and sothat when the cars within the chamber 9 are drawn onto the transfer-car2' they can be carried thereby over into the chamber a and automaticallyconnected to the cars on the track 0 in said chamber.

In order to hold the heat within the two chambers a g and prevent thesudden lowerin g of the temperature in the annealing-chamber a by theopening or closing of the ports or doors in the car-heating chamber g,and also to give a support to the arched roofs of said chambers, I havesupported the main or division wall f on the I-beams f above the openingf between the chambers, so providin g for the passage of the cars fromone chamber to the other without leaving any very great space tointerfere with the even heat in either chamber.

In the side wall of the receiving-chamber a is arranged the longhorizontal feeding-port m, which is on a line with the car (I, so thatthe cast glass plate can be directed through said port onto the flatfloor of the car. In order to arrange for the proper and even heatin gofthe reeciving-chamber, the port on has the grate or fire-chamber e infront thereof, the cast plate in entering the receiving-chamber passingthrough or over this fire-chamber 6 The casting-tablen is preferablylocated opposite the feeding-port 'm, and said table may either bemounted on a track, so as to be brought close to said feed-port, or thetable may be stationary and a suitable movable guide ear or table a bearranged between the casting-table n and the port m. The flat ears (1are large enough to receive one cast glass plate, as it is not generallydesirable to carry more than one plate on a car or permit the heat ofone plate to'interfere with the cooling of another. They are generallymade of cast-iron, as this material is adapted to properly withstand theheat to which the ears are subjected and the changes of temperature, andthe floor or top surface 19 of the ear is perfectly flat and is solid,the floor being preferably formed of tile or other suitable refractorymaterial, which, while forming a smooth and level floor that willproperly support the cast glass plate, at the same time can be madesufficiently thin to permit the heat to pass from the lower part of theplate downwardly through the tile floor and be carried gradually awayfrom the plate. This tile floor is in general practice made about twoinches in thickness, the tile 1) being supported on a skeleton body ofsuitable form, such as shown at 19 and the larger portion of the undersurface of the tile being left open, so that the heat may rapidly escapetherefrom.

The soaking-oven h of the annealing apparatus is made of any suitablelength according to the time required in casting the plates and the timenecessary to anneal and cool them, as if a cast plate is fed to theannealing apparatus every ten minutes it would require the cars totravel more rapidly within the oven than when a plate is fed theretoevery twenty minutes, and consequently require a longer oven, the ovenbeing generally arranged to accommodate from fifteen to thirty or morecars. Mantels r extend down at intervals from the roof of the oven,these mantels being employed to check the passage of the heat from thereceiving-chamber a down through the soaking-oven b, the mantels beinggenerally arranged within said even at a distance apart corresponding tothe length of one or two of the ears d and extending down within a fewinches of the surface of set er 3' the car, so that where one or moreplates are held within a particular chamber the heat in such chamber ismaintained substantially even on account of the space inclosed betweenthe mantels and the flat surface of the car.

The soaking-oven may extend in a direct line for the entire lengththereof; but in order to economize space I prefer the arrangementillustrated in the drawings, in which one part or section b of thesoaking-oven is arranged in line with and extends toward the car-heatingchamber g, the oven having a transferpit s at a suitable point therein,this transferpit having therein the car 3 with a track thereon, and thesaid track being adapted to receive from the track 0 one of the flatcars (1, having thereon the cast plate under process of annealing,transfer it to the part b of the oven 7), and deliver it to the tracktherein. In this way the apparatus can be arranged within a reasonablysmall space, the soakingoven extending up to Within the length of eightor ten cars of the car-heating oven g, so that the plates can be carriedon the cars through the soaking-oven,and then when they are sufficientlycooled the ears pass out between the end I) of the portion 1) of thesoaking-oven b and the entrance end g of the car-heating oven where theplates can be withdrawn from the cars and the cars then fed forward intothe car-heating oven g ready for the next plate. The rear end b of'thesoaking-oven b is arranged as shown to the right in Fig. 4, the end wallcoming down close to the body of the car, so as to prevent the formationof a current within the soaking-oven, any suitable means for closing theends of the ovens so as to maintain the desired heat therein beingemployed.

Between the end 6 of the soaking-oven b and the entrance end g of thecar-heating oven the annealed and cooled cast glass plates are deliveredfrom the cars, and arranged at one side of said space are one or morereceiving-tables 15, having their top surfaces in line with the topsurfaces or floors of the cars, so that the annealed and cooled platecan be drawn off the car by any suitable apparatus, the necessity ofdrawing the plate a long distance over what is necessarily aslightly-rough floor, as in the old style of annealing-ovens, beingovercome and the length over which the cast plate has to be drawn beinggreatly reduced. Arranged at suitable points in the walls of thecar-heating oven g are the openings h and in the receiving-chamber a arethe openings 7L2, through which hooks, bars, or chains are passed tomove the transfer-car '1; and to draw the cars onto and push them offthe transfer-car. Like openings u are made at the pit s to operate thetransfer-car s. Cover-plates maybe employed to close these openings h,7L2, and u to prevent entrance of air.

\Vhen my improved apparatus is in use, the receiving-chamber a and theear-heatin g oven 1) are raised to a high heat, generally to a dull-redheat, this being accomplished where it can be obtained by a gaseousfuel, as a more even and clearer heat can be maintained thereby, and inorder to heat the soaking-oven it may be heated by any suitable means before the annealing operation commences, and the heat may be directedfrom this chamber through the soaking-oven b in any suitable way, ifdesired. After the annealing operation is commenced the proper heatingof the different parts of the soaking-oven will be maintained by theplates carried through it, so that there is regular and gradualreduction of the temperature from the entrance to the delivery end ofthe oven. lVhen it is desired to commence the casting operation, theoperators feed into the car-heating oven g a suitable number of cars,the oven shown being arranged to take in three such cars, and these carsand their tile floors are in said oven raised to a heat sufficient toprevent the rapid chilling or cracking of the cast glass plate whenfirst placed thereon. After the car has been heated in this way it iscarried by the transfer-car 6 through the opening f into thereceiving-chamber a in line with the feeding port m, when the apparatusis ready for the casting operation. The pot containing the molten glassto be cast into a plate is then withdrawn from the furnace and raisedover the casting-table n and the glass is pouredupon the table androlled out into aplate of proper thickness by the heavy roller which iscarried over the table, so forming the east glass plate. As soon as theoperation is performed either the casting-table n is drawn up to thefeeding port m of the annealing apparatus or the car or table a is drawnbetween the annealing apparatus and casting-table in order to provide asmooth or even surface for the passage of the cast plate, the platepassing from such table over the guide-car 72 through the feeding-port monto the fiat tile floor p of the car (1, these cars being, as abovestated, made of suitable size to receive any desired size of plate. Assoon as the plate is transferredin this manner onto the flat car thiscar is pushed off the transfer-car 1' onto the track 0 within the heatedreceiving-chamber a, and in so doing it pushes before it any other carswithin said chamber or the soaking-oven Z), and while they are preparingto cast another glass plate the transfe r-car i is carried along thetrack within the pit h through the opening f into the carheating chamberwhere, when it is in line with the track 70 therein, another heated caris fed onto the transfer-car 2', which then car ries this heated carinto the chamber a of the annealing apparatus in line with thefeedingport, so that it is ready for the next plate cast. The operationis thus repeated as each plate is cast, the casting operation generallyoccupying ten minutes, so that as the cars are carried through theheated reeeivingchamber a into the soaking-oven b by the time thattwenty plates are cast, this being the number of pots contained in anyordinary furnace, the

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plates first cast have been carried a considerable distance into thesoaking-oven Z). The cars are then carried through the soakingoven,being moved about the length of one car about every ten minutes, so thatthe temperature surrounding the plate supported on the car is graduallyreduced, and thus a gradual and regular cooling and proper annealing ofthe cast plate is obtained, the plate having first been raised in theheated receiving-chamber a of the annealing apparatus to a heatsufficient to overcome any chilling action on it during its transfer andthen gradually cooled as it is carried through the soaking-oven. WVherethe section b of the oven is arranged 011 a line with the car-heatingoven, when the cars reach the transfer-car 8 they are carried therebyfrom the main portion of the soaking-oven to the extension Z) thereof,the cars being operated by rods passing through the small openings at inthe walls of the oven. During this annealing operation the plate issupported on an even surface and on a material which will graduallycarry off the heat therefrom without either chilling the plate orexpanding or contracting by the action of the heated glass thereon, andwhich will at the same time give an even support to the entire plate andassure the formation of a perfectly even cast glass plate. As soon asthe plates supported on the cars have been carried entirely through thesoaking-oven of the annealing apparatus they are brought in line withand close to the receiving or delivery tables '6, and all that isnecessary is to draw the cooled and annealed glass plate from thecar-floor directly onto the receiving-table, the necessity of drawingthe plate a long distance to withdraw it from the apparatus beingovercome and the accurate and careful handling of the plate being madepossible, as there is no necessity of working within the low or closeannealing-oven, as is the case in withdrawing the plates from theordinary annealing-oven. The proper annealing and cooling of the platescan thus be accomplished within a few hours and the plate obtained beperfectly annealed, and as only a short time is required for theprocess, and as the plates are drawn from the receiving and heatingchamber shortly after casting, the operation may be made practicallycontinuous and a single annealing apparatus perform the work for severalfurnaces, so saving greatly in the cost of the plant, the labor, and thehire for annealing.

hat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. An apparatus for annealing plate-glass having a car-heating oven, ahighly-heated receiving-chamber, parallel therewith, means for heatingthe oven and receiving-chamber a transfer-pit within the oven andchamber, a transfer-truck moving within said pit and having a trackcoinciding with those of the oven and chamber, tracks in the ovens andchambers and cars thereon so as to carry the cars from the oven to thechamber, and a horizontal feeding-port in the wall of thereceiving-chamber through which the cast plates are passed onto thecars, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. In apparatus for forming and annealing plate-glass, the combinationwith the castingtable, of a highly-heated receiving-chamber having along horizontal feeding-port in one side wall in line with thecasting-table and a soaking-oven extending out therefrom, means forheating the receiving-chamber and soaking-oven and cars travelingthrough said chamber and oven and each having a solid flat floor in linewith the receiving-table to receive the cast plate through said port andcarry it through the oven, substantially as and for the purposes setforth.

3 An apparatus for annealing plateglass, having a car-heating oven, aheated chamber parallel therewith to receive the cast plate, means forheating the oven and chamber, a transfer-passage inclosed within theoven and chamber having a track therein, and a car traveling on saidtrack to carry cars from oven to chamber, a soaking-oven extending outfrom the receiving-chamber, the track extending along the chamber andsoakingoven, a track parallel with the soaking-oven and leading into thecar-heating oven, and cars to receive and support the cast plate,substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

4:. An apparatus for annealing plate-glass, having on one side a heatedchamber to receive the cast plate and a soaking-oven extending outtherefrom, and a track extending through said chamber and oven, and,parallel with said chamber and oven, a continuation of the oven and acar-heating oven with a dischargespace between them, and a trackextending from such part of the soaking-oven to the car-heating oven,transfer-pits inclosed within the receiving-chamber and heatingoven, andwithin the end portion of the soaking-oven respectively, cars travelingtherein to carry the main cars between said tracks, and a series of carshaving solid flat floors to receive and support the cast plate,substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

5. In apparatus for annealing plate-glass, the combination of thesoaking-oven and a series of cars having solid flat floors to receiveand support the cast plate, and the series of stationary mantels withinthe oven extending down from the roof close to the floor of the cars,and the spaces between the mantels corresponding to the length of one ormore cars, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

6. An apparatus for annealing plate-glass having a soaking-oven formedin two sections or parts parallel with each other, and having aconnecting-pit within the oven provided with a transfer-car for carryingthe cars from one section of the oven to the other, substantially as andfor the purposes set forth.

'7. In apparatus for annealing plate-glass, the combination with aheated chamber means for heating said chamber, and said chambertransferred from the casting-table to the reoeiving-car, and having afire-chamber between the port and car through or over which I 5 theplate travels when so transferred, substantially as and for the purposesset forth.

In testimony whereof I, the said JAMES A. CHAMBERS, have hereunto setinyhand.

JAMES A. CHAMBERS. Vitnesses:

JAMEs I. KAY, J. N. OooKE.

